Kerry Tomlinson under investigation 

Having been declared bankrupt in January, the man behind several troubled Liverpool developments is now being investigated by the Insolvency Service. 

The Government department confirmed this morning it had launched an investigation “into the conduct of the directors of Certa Invest and Strand Plaza”, two vehicles connected to Kerry Tomlinson’s Primesite Developments. 

Strand Plaza was delivering the £26m, 135-apartment conversion of the former Ministry of Defence office building on Liverpool’s Strand, but the project stalled after the eponymous special purpose vehicle was placed into administration in 2019. The administration, being carried out by FRP Advisory Trading, is ongoing. 

Strand Plaza’s other former directors are Pauline Tomlinson, Robert Johnson, David Fairbrother and David Cooley, according to Companies House. 

The other company being investigated by the Insolvency Service is Certa Invest, a property sales agent that was dissolved last September. Pauline Tomlinson and Sam Fearon are also listed as directors of Certa Invest on Companies House. 

Herculaneum Quay took over the stalled Herculaneum Quay scheme in 2019

Tomlinson’s Primesite Developments is in the process of being liquidated under a forced dissolution process that began in January, leaving behind several unfinished projects.

Of these, the 16-storey, 116-apartment residential scheme Herculaneum Quay has been taken over by a group of investors, while the 450-unit The Rise has been picked up by a joint venture between Legacie Developments and Nexus Residential. 

Tomlinson was declared bankrupt at Liverpool’s County Court earlier this year on the petition of creditor, peer-to-peer lender Lendy. 

Lendy, which is also in administration, was owed £12m by Primesite, having backed the 16-storey Herculaneum Quay scheme. 

According to Primesite’s website, the company is in the midst of a “two-year wind-down”, during which time it hopes to complete all unfinished projects, it says. 

Kerry Tomlinson has been contacted for comment.